Tudor Place, Washington D.C.

Tudor Place is one of Washington’s great Federal-era mansions, designed by William Thornton — the same architect who also had a hand in designing the U.S. Capitol. Construction began around 1794 and, because grand houses apparently preferred to take their time, wrapped up around 1815.

The estate belonged to Thomas Peter and his wife, Martha Parke Custis Peter — a couple with very well-connected family branches. Thomas Peter served as mayor of Georgetown from 1789 to 1798, while Martha Parke Custis Peter was the granddaughter of Martha Washington, the wife of the First President. Through those family ties, Tudor Place became closely linked to the Washington, Custis, and Lee families — which is about as high as it gets to the top shelf of early-American society.

But the house also carries a more difficult history. After Martha Washington’s death, the Peter family inherited a number of enslaved people from Mount Vernon. The slaves remained in bondage for many years, and some were not freed until the Civil War. So, while Tudor Place tells a story of architecture, wealth, and political connection, it also reflects the deep injustice built into that world.

The mansion sits on a hill within a broad estate of lawns and gardens. Its north side is fairly plain — the architectural equivalent of keeping a straight face — but the south-facing side, overlooking Georgetown, is where the house decides to make an entrance. With end pavilions, connecting loggias, stuccoed brick walls, Tuscan columns, and a Regency-style sense of order, it is elegant without shouting about it. The floor plan is a little unusual, but the interiors make up for that with carefully crafted details.

One of Tudor Place’s major highlights is its collection of more than 100 objects once owned by George and Martha Washington. Add to that nearly 180 years of Peter family ownership, and this handsome residence becomes a layered record of American social life, family memory, privilege, and contradiction. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960, Tudor Place is now open to the public — offering visitors a polished mansion, a graceful garden, and a history that does not stay politely in one room...